Also absent from next year’s budget: Money for New College takeovers, and for land preservation.
By Johannes Werner
Original Air Date: June 18, 2025
Host: Late this Monday, the Florida Legislature approved a budget. It’s now in the hands of the governor, after using his line-item veto power, to approve it. In Sarasota-Manatee, rather than what’s in the budget, the biggest excitement and dismay was about what’s not in it.
Johannes Werner: Most importantly, the governor’s priority of cutting—or even ending—property taxes, has gone nowhere, for now. That should prompt a sigh of relief among city and county commissioners such as Sarasota County Commissioner Mark Smith. The Republican called the plans “downright stupid.” The concern, obviously, is about cutting off a major funding source for city and county services. Danny Nix is the Republican state representative from Charlotte County. He is on the House select committee that looks at cutting property taxes, and his key word is “sustainability.”
Danny Nix.
Danny Nix: I’m fortunate enough to be on that committee. We’re going to continue to go through that process and make sure that we’re doing something that’s going to be sustainable.
JW: Cutting property taxes still is very much on the table for next year. Over the summer, the House Select Committee will be holding public listening sessions, to present a proposal for the 2026 ballot. And the Senate approved funding for a study on a framework for cutting or eliminating property taxes.
Senate President Ben Albritton:
Ben Albritton: The property tax discussion—let me just say this: It is alive and well. Just because we didn’t find a way to be able to get that put into place this year does not mean that discussion is over.
Photo by Emily Le Coz via Suncoast Searchlight.
JW: One of the losers in next year’s budget is New College. College President Richard Corcoran, in an email, touted the “highest ever” funding for the small liberal arts college in Sarasota. But his ambitious plans to take over the neighboring campuses of USF Sarasota-Manatee and of the Ringling Museum of Art did not receive any state dollars in the upcoming year.
At its board meeting last Friday, in the presence of USF President Rhea Law, one USF Sarasota-Manatee board member asked for more transparency in any future merger talks and thanked state legislators who did not back a takeover by New College. Another board member suggested that—if there is any merger—it should be USF Sarasota-Manatee taking over their neighbors.
Nancy Parrish took the lead in the resistance against the takeover of the Ringling Museum of Art. After it became evident there would not be any state funding for a takeover by New College, she sent an email to “fellow Ringling warriors.” Under the title “We did it!”, Parrish wrote “letters, calls, town hall attendance, and relentless advocacy worked. When the Governor tried to sneak this transfer through the budget process, you made sure our legislators knew we were watching.”
She also cautioned that the issue may come back next year. Signaling that there may be another attempt next year, New College Trustee Lance Karp had an op-ed published by the Herald Tribune this week, arguing how a merger of the three campuses creates savings for taxpayers.
Another loser in this year’s budget is land conservation. The state will fund the Florida Forever land preservation program with only $18 million—very much below the $100 million legislators pledged two years ago to put into Florida Forever. Paul Owens is president of 1000 Friends of Florida, the environmental advocacy group that has lobbied for full funding of the program.
Paul Owens: The Florida Forever priority list probably has numerous proposed or possible land acquisitions in Sarasota County and Manatee County. There’s a large inventory of environmentally valuable land in that area, and it’s threatened because the area is developing—is growing—so fast.
JW: The pending real estate crisis presents an opportunity for land preservation. Underfunding the program at this time means this is a missed opportunity, Owens argues.
PO: This is an opportunity to protect the land that the market is presenting. $100 million is the level that legislators promised just a couple of years ago would be the minimum appropriation every year for Florida Forever. It was the totals that the governor recommended in his budget. It was what the Senate proposed in the budget that it passed. This is not only missing an opportunity, but it’s reneging a promise that the legislature made just a couple of years ago.
JW: Reporting for WSLR News, Johannes Werner.
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